


Because The Night (Common Thread)

by devilatwork (dorkdevil)



Series: Horny Hours with the Boss [3]
Category: Saints Row
Genre: Cuddles, Fluff and Smut, Kisses, M/M, Mention of Character Death, NSFW, handjobs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:48:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28491915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkdevil/pseuds/devilatwork
Summary: Saints Row 3 (AU)NSFW Chapter from the fanfic "Common Thread" in which Gat is part of the Syndicate – for those who want the horny without the build-up.SPOILERS FOR "COMMON THREAD" in the fic and notes
Relationships: Boss (Saints Row)/Johnny Gat, Male Boss (Saints Row)/Johnny Gat
Series: Horny Hours with the Boss [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2087016
Kudos: 6





	Because The Night (Common Thread)

**Author's Note:**

> Setting:  
> Despite being part of different gangs, Playa and Gat bonded during and after Professor Genki's challenges. When the Syndicate ordered Johnny to kill Playa on sight, they reluctantly came up with a plan to not run into each other anymore: Gat would text him his whereabouts and the Saints' boss would avoid those places.
> 
> Having started to harbour feelings for the Morningstar, Playa's patience was soon wearing thin though, until he eventually decided to choose risk over restraint.

_XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/07/14 - 18:34_ _  
_ [1900 rosen oaks] _  
_ _  
_ _XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/07/14 - 20:08_ _  
_ [2030 yearwood] _  
_ _  
_ _XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/07/14 - 21:46_ _  
_ [2200 loren sq] _  
_ _  
_ _XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/08/14 - 01:32_ _  
_ [0200 salander] _  
_ _  
_ _XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/08/14 - 10:01_ _  
_ [1100 arapice is] _  
_ _  
_ _XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/08/14 - 12:20_ _  
_ [1300 rosen oaks] _  
_ _  
_ _XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/08/14 - 16:12_ _  
_ [1700 wesley cut]

Two weeks had passed since his last encounter with Gat and, just as promised, Playa’s pocket vibrated sporadically with anonymous text messages that revealed the Morningstar’s upcoming locations. The Saint had stuck to his side of the agreement, too, and avoided the mentioned neighbourhoods at the specified times.  
  
The messages were short and never contained more than a timestamp and neighbourhood. Nevertheless, there was something about them, something about always knowing where Johnny was, that felt surprisingly intimate, and it brought an involuntary smile to Playa’s lips whenever a new one rang in.  
  
The diligence with which Gat sent the updates made it clear to the Saint how seriously he was taking the matter, and, with a bit of wishful thinking, how much he wanted to keep Playa safe - a thought that birthed both happiness and frustration over the fact he couldn’t meet the man.  
  
Eventually, when his frustration had begun to outweigh his rationality, he decided to go for the next best thing and started to reply whenever Gat would send a timestamp.  
  
  
_XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/22/14 - 16:11_  
[1630 sunset pk]  
  
_XXX-XXX-8055_ _  
_ _07/22/14 - 16:15_  
[Going for a walk?]  
  
  
_XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/25/14 - 22:01_  
[2230 loren sq]  
  
_XXX-XXX-8055_ _  
_ _07/25/14 - 22:04_  
[Let me guess… Broken Shillelagh?]  
  
  
_XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/28/14 - 20:17_  
[2030 henry steel]  
  
_XXX-XXX-8055_  
_07/28/14 - 20:20_  
[God, I miss Genki.]  
  
  
Playa didn’t receive a single reaction to his messages, but held out for a week, randomly commenting every single update Gat sent him. As more days passed and the number of one-sided messages grew, so did the Saint’s impatience and his wish for payback.  
He knew Johnny was reading his messages, he just never replied, and while Playa found it amusing at first, he was starting to get annoyed by it soon enough. If they couldn’t see each other, the least Gat could do was text back, wasn’t it?  
  
  
_XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:11_  
[2300 loren sq] _  
_ _  
XXX-XXX-8055  
07/31/14 - 23:13  
_[A bit late with the update this time, huh?] _  
  
_ _XXX-XXX-8055_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:17_ _  
_ [A dyslexic man walks into a bra]  
  
  
Playa mindlessly typed down a joke, figuring that if he himself were at Loren Square at this time, he would probably be grabbing a drink at the Broken Shillelagh. Just as he was about to push his phone back into his pocket, it vibrated with a new message.  
It couldn’t be from Gat. He had just sent a timestamp, so his next message would follow half an hour later, the earliest. Nevertheless, Playa dared a hopeful look and his heart made a leap when he took in the message that flashed on his screen.  
  
  
_XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:19_  
[u calling me dyslexic?]  
  
  
It took him several tries to type out his reply, fingers stumbling over themselves in excitement, and while he didn’t usually care about typos, they would be too ironic after he had just made a joke about dyslexia. His heart was pounding with anticipation for yet another reply from Gat when he sent his own (typo-free) message.  
  
  
_XXX-XXX-8055_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:20_  
[So you are in a bar?]  
  
_XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:20_  
[y]  
  
Not a minute had passed until Johnny’s reply. Playa answered instantly.  
  
_XXX-XXX-8055_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:20_  
[Broken Shillelagh?]  
  
_XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:21_  
[y]  
  
Again, the reply came without delay, and the thought of Johnny being on the other line of the phone, texting him from a bar only a short car ride away, was enough for Playa to throw all the self-restraint he had practiced over the past few weeks out the window and rush down to the Saints HQ’s garage to go find the other.  
  
_XXX-XXX-8055_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:21_  
[Wait for me.]  
  
_XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:21_  
[no wait]  
  
_XXX-XXX-8055_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:22_  
[On my way.]  
  
_XXX-XXX-0947_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:22_  
[dont come]  
  
  
Playa ignored Gat’s message and, fuelled by a sudden eagerness to annoy him, was quick to make his way up to Loren Square. If Johnny hadn’t left right after his message, he was certain to catch him there, the capo thought to himself. His heart was drumming in anticipation.  
  
  
_XXX-XXX-8055_ _  
_ _07/31/14 - 23:38_  
[Black Torch outside]  
  
  
He texted, not even bothering to turn off the engine, and began to impatiently thrum his fingers on the steering wheel. _Come out, come out, come out,_ he mumbled to himself, eyes fixed onto the bar’s entrance. Gat wasn’t going to ignore him, was he?

  
A few minutes passed and, just as Playa had begun to consider walking into the bar himself, a bulky figure stepped out of it. The person looked, spotted the Saint’s car and headed straight for it. The passenger door flew open, then shut again after Johnny Gat had taken the seat to Playa’s right.  
  
“I’m starting to think you really do have a death wish.” Gat spoke as he eyed up the Saint with a raised eyebrow and Playa felt a familiar warmth rise inside him at the sound of Johnny’s soothing voice.  
  
“Nice to see you, too.” Playa smirked back and hit the gas pedal before passersby would get suspicious… or Gat could change his mind and leave. The Morningstar didn’t seem bothered by this turn of events, however.  
  
“So, what’s up?”  
  
“Grab a drink with me. It’s been a while.” Playa answered and, from the corner of his eye, saw how Johnny crossed his arms as he relaxed into the seat.  
  
“Sure.”  
  
First the Saint made a stop at a gas station where he stocked up on beer - Gat stayed in the car to avoid being seen. Then, following Johnny’s example from a few weeks before, he drove them out of the city and into the darkness of the faraway countryside. He wanted Gat to himself and, now that he had finally found a chance to hang out with the other man, he wasn’t going to let anyone disturb them.  
  
  
  
“So, what makes today special?” Playa asked once he couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer. He had managed to make it through a beer without bringing it up, but the question had been badgering him from the start, and he knew it wouldn’t give him any peace of mind as long as he left it alone. “You didn’t react to any of my other texts before.”  
  
“I’m not really a fan of texting.” Gat answered calmly but not to the Saint’s satisfaction.  
  
“You sure send a lot of messages for a guy who’s not a fan of texting.”  
  
“Well, because that’s what we agreed on. Made it feel like a more important matter than the fact of me not liking to text.”  
  
“Alright, fair. You still didn’t answer my question, though. Why today?”  
  
When silence fell between them, Playa assumed he wouldn’t get an answer anymore. The expression in Gat’s eyes was shielded by his sunglasses but Playa could tell from the way his jaw locked and his hands tightened, that the man was unusually tense.  
Perhaps he shouldn’t have asked after all, the capo thought. The atmosphere inside the car was starting to become uncomfortably heavy and the Saint was about to speak up again, when Johnny suddenly drew a deep breath and, against expectations, started talking.  
One sentence into the answer, however, Playa already wished he hadn’t.  
  
  
“Today’s the day my fiancée got killed.” Gat started, and when the other didn’t say anything, he calmly continued. “Three years ago, when Ultor tried to expand into Steelport, there was a disagreement between them and the Syndicate. Frictions over the distribution of finances or some shit. When things got dirty, they sent me to clean it up.  
...Eesh and I were living together at the time. Still wonder if they wouldn’t’ve found out about her if we hadn’t.”  
  
Lost in thoughts, Gat rolled the beer bottle in his hand, then took a large sip before he picked up where he had left off.  
  
“Ultor sent someone to ambush me at home, and they ran into her instead. She tried to warn me. Cost her her damn head.”  
  
When Johnny lifted his bottle to finish it, Playa had a feeling that there wasn’t more to be said. The uneasy feeling inside him made him wish he could just crack a joke to change the subject, but never before had he heard Gat talk with such serious sincerity and it felt wrong to devalue that with laughter.  
  
“I’m sorry.” The Saint answered instead while trying to make sense of his own messy thoughts.  
  
So Johnny Gat had had a fiancée. If that wasn’t enough to prove his love for the woman, he still seemed affected by his death, even years later, and for some reason the Saint felt more upset about that than sorry for her murder. Had he really loved her _that much_ ? Years had passed, so shouldn’t he be finally over her?  
  
Playa’s relationships had never lasted long enough to leave much of an impression on him, and he definitely wouldn’t have considered marrying any of his previous partners. But _Johnny Gat_ , the serial killer and Syndicate’s war machine, had fallen so hard for a woman that he would mourn her for years? The notion felt unrelatable and absurd, and for some reason it sent a hot-and-cold sensation through his body.  
  
“Yeah. Well, I went to the Broken Shillelagh to feel sorry too, but a certain bastard wouldn’t get off my back, and now here we are.”  
  
  
Considering the things he had just told the Saint, Johnny seemed strangely okay again and, as he put away the finished bottle, even his features looked much more relaxed.  
  
“... Thanks, man.” Playa had never heard Johnny speak so gently before and it suddenly took all his self-restraint to stay calm in his seat. Even after the usual nonchalance had returned to Johnny’s voice. “So what’d you want to meet up for?”  
  
“I missed you, Johnny.” Playa answered honestly, too focused on keeping his emotions in check to filter his words too.  
  
“Aw, sure, I missed you too. But there’s no need to get sappy.” He spoke with an amused smile that faded when he saw the look in the other’s face.  
  
“You know, I thought it’d be fine to put a halt on our meet-ups for a while and to focus on the gang. Hang out in the clubs with Pierce, grab a few drinks with Oleg and the others. Hell, I even let Zimos hook me up. But it all felt dull compared to our hang-outs.  
I know keeping a distance was my idea, but I didn’t think it would be like _this_ . And maybe _you’re_ fine with it, but it’s driving _me_ insane. So even if you hate texting, you could at least–”  
  
Playa was cut off when suddenly a set of lips pressed against his own and a warm hand at the back of his neck gently pulled him forward. Johnny Gat was kissing him. The realization took a second to sink in but when it had, the Saint wrapped his arms around the other’s shoulders to hold him close as he needily kissed back.

He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t even dared to hope for anything of the sort, especially not after hearing about Johnny’s dead fiancée. But here they were, in a tangled embrace inside Playa’s car, and his senses were running wild with emotion.

Weeks of longing and frustration flowed into the kiss as Playa tugged at the back of Johnny’s jacket and hummed hungrily, leaning as close as their respective seats allowed. It wasn’t close enough.  
  


“Johnny…” He gasped the other’s name between breaths of air before he dove in for another needy kiss.  
  


His hand moved to Johnny’s shoulder and pushed him back against the seat, the kiss unbroken as Playa followed the other onto his lap. Gat’s palms had moved to rest at the other’s sides, running up and down his back while their tongues fought passionately over dominance.

  
  
Playa pulled back. Gasping for air, he took in the sight of the man below him, breathing just as heavily and absolutely beautiful. _Johnny Gat_ . It almost seemed too good to be true, but if this was a dream, he would make sure to savour every second of it.  
  
He reached to the side and pulled a small lever that inclined Johnny’s seat to the back, then returned his attention to the man who was watching him with an unreadable expression. Playa leaned over him to resume their kiss, and Gat cupped the back of his neck again to pull him close once more. The Saint felt himself drown in the intoxicating fragrance and warmth coming from the other, and Johnny’s low hums only added to the sensory overload.  
  
The way Johnny held him was both firm and gentle, and when his hands slid to the back of Playa’s pants, he followed their nudge to move his hips forward. A gasp slipped into their kiss and the Saint didn’t have to look down to know their embrace had affected both of them.  
  
He rolled his hips back, then repeated the movement, and Johnny’s fingers pressed deeper into the fabric as his breath shook under the sensation. He did it again. Their lips collided messily. Again. Playa’s teeth tugged on Johnny’s bottom lip. Again. A gasp freed the lip. Johnny’s tongue pushed into the Saint’s mouth in return. Again. Johnny’s grip on Playa’s ass tightened, craving more friction, more sensation, more _touch_ . Again.  
  
The Saint rolled his hips deep into the other’s lap, rubbing against it with a muffled moan, before he broke the kiss again and rested his forehead against Gat’s. Their hot breaths hung heavily between them as he reached down the other’s body and cupped the large bulge through the fabric. Pressing against it earned him a tight squeeze of his own butt in return, and Playa licked teasingly over Johnny’s lips before he started fumbling with his belt and pants to free him.  
  
Finally, the Saint tugged down the fabric to reveal the other’s manhood, and he couldn’t help his impressed remark.

“Where’ve you been hiding _this_ bad boy?”  
  
Johnny snorted, visibly amused, and reached over to return the favor by giving Playa the same treatment.

  
  
By the time both men were freed, their erections were leaking in anticipation, and the Saint pushed up Gat’s shirt to limit the mess they’d make on it. Not to catch a glimpse of Johnny’s toned torso, of course. But, _god,_ was he hot.  
  
The Morningstar caught him staring and caught his chin, to guide their lips back together. When they connected, Johnny’s palm ran over the moist tip and Playa shuddered at the sensation. _More_ . The Saint wrapped his fingers around the large length beneath him and began stroking it in response.  
  
The men matched their breaths and paces, starting with slow, teasing movements, only to increase in speed and intensity as their patience ran out.  
  
“F… fuck… J...ohnny…!”  
  
Playa gasped praises and curses between breaths, and low, breathy moans escaped the other in response, as the two men worked on each other to their limits on the car seat. Sloppy kisses were interrupted by sounds neither of them tried to hold back, and their hands, slippery with precum, moved fast on each other’s cocks.  
  
“Nghh… J... Johnn… Fuck yeah, f… faster! F… Aagh...”  
  
  
Johnny followed the order and Playa dropped his forehead against the other’s shoulder. The Saint moaned under the movements and, feeling the warm skin of Gat’s neck next to him, tilted his head and sunk his teeth into it.  
  
“Hngh!” Johnny grunted in response and Playa felt new precum run over his fingers. _So he’s into that, huh?_ , the capo thought to himself and found another spot to mark on the other’s neck. With a low moan, Gat’s body suddenly tensed up under the sensation and shuddered as the Morningstar reached his limit and found his release in the other’s hand.  
  
“Fuck, that’s hot…” The Saint mumbled under his breath and felt himself leaking onto the other man’s underwear as Johnny’s muscles twitched beneath him. He was close too, and wrapped his slippery hand around the other’s to guide it over his erection.  
  
“Hah… god… damn… _yes…_ ! Hngh…! So… fucking-... y- _AH_ …!!”  
  
  
When he finally found his release, Playa’s loud moan filled the quiet car and he rocked his hips a few more times into Johnny’s hand to ride out his orgasm.  
  
He reluctantly took the time to wipe them clean with some wipes from the glovebox, then tossed them on the floor and lay down on top of the other, resting his head on top of Gat’s shoulder.  
  
“That was fucking hot.” Playa smirked to himself, and the body below him shook lightly with the Morningstar’s chuckle. The Saint felt a happiness bubble up inside himself unlike any he had ever felt before, but decided to allow himself to feel exhausted, if only to use it as an excuse not to move. “I think I’ll just spend the night like this.”  
  
“Got nowhere to be?” Gat asked, sounding amused.  
  
“Not till tomorrow morning.” Playa answered and he knew this moment was perfect when he felt Johnny’s arm wrap around his back in response.  
  
“Alright then.”  
  
  
They stayed like that for a while, then shifted, readjusted their positions and moved to the back, where the duo finally found a comfortable position and, in the early morning hours, drifted off to sleep.  
  
  
When Playa’s phone rang him awake a few hours later, it took him a moment to orient himself, confused as to why an arm lay across his chest and whose shoulder he was resting against. Then the memories of the past night came rushing back to him and the sight of Johnny Gat’s resting face behind him rekindled the warm feeling inside his chest.  
  
Only reluctantly did he pick up the phone and let Pierce disturb their secluded togetherness.  
  
  
“Yo, boss.”  
  
“This better be important, Pierce.”  
  
“I’m calling about the 9 o’clock meeting with Channel 6. Seems like there was a problem with their previous location and they want to relocate it to the Saints HQ. Shaundi and the others are already preparing the place, just make sure you show up on time, alright?”  
  
“Saints HQ. Got it.”  
  
“Alright, cool. See you then.”  
  
  
Playa hung up and, seeing the time flash on his phone display, he let out an unhappy groan. 8:10. He had to hurry back to Steelport or else he’d be late.  
  
“Everything alright?” Gat’s voice came from behind him and Playa noted he loved how raspy it sounded in the morning.  
  
“Yeah, just gotta head back for a meeting.” He answered, already missing the fading warmth Johnny’s embrace had provided. Gat nodded.  
  
“Alright, let’s roll.” But before he could step outside the car to switch to the passenger seat, Playa had grabbed his collar and dragged him into a kiss. Johnny kissed back. _Good_ . So whatever had happened the night before wasn’t a one-time thing, the Saint figured and released the other contentedly.  
  
  
The sleepy men didn’t talk much on their way back. Only when the skyscrapers of Steelport became visible in the distance, Playa turned to ask Johnny where he would like to be dropped off.  
  
“Anywhere near Salander.” Johnny shrugged and Playa nodded.  
  
“You live there?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“I’ll drive you home, just let me know where.” The Saint offered, secretly eager to find out Gat’s address. ...Even if it meant being late to his Channel 6 interview. He was sure Pierce would find a way to stall for time.  
  
  
Shortly before nine they had come to a halt and parked in the driveway in front of Johnny’s house.  
  
“Yo, thanks for the ride.” Gat smirked and reached for the door.  
  
“Aren’t you forgett–?” But before Playa could finish, Johnny’s lips locked his mouth for a final goodbye kiss that made his knees weak again.  
  
“Nah, I think I got everything.” The Morningstar answered cockily and left the car for real.  
  
With an amused smile, Playa started the engine and watched Johnny as he walked over towards the entrance. That was until the Saint realized that he had forgotten something important, and rushed to lower the passenger side window.  
  


“You better start answering my bloody texts!”  
  
Gat looked back at him, a lopsided smirk on his lips, and gave him a thumbs up before disappearing into his house.  
  
_Good_ , Playa thought, finally satisfied. _He better._

**Author's Note:**

> If you're already reading "Common Thread": Thank you so much! I do hope you enjoy the story and will stick around!
> 
> If you haven't and feel like finding out more about the AU, I'd be happy to redirect you to the full fanfic in my profile/works.
> 
> And if not: Thank you for reading and see you next time, hopefully!


End file.
